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Tuesday, July 12, 2016

58 individually designed elephants have descended upon the streets of Sheffield and a Rotherham-based signs company is making sure the message gets across as to what it is all about.

This exciting initiative has previously been successful in other cities around the UK from dolphins in Aberdeen to dragons in Norwich. In Sheffield, the initiative has been orchestrated by The Children's Hospital Charity and public arts event organiser Wild in Art, with lots of corporate sponsorships from companies like Signs Express.

With an excellent working relationship with the charity, who the event is raising money for, Rotherham-based business, Signs Express, is supporting the event with free signage on the elephants and by sponsoring a special elephant called Forest Spirit (pictured) by Sheffield-based street artist Faunagraphic.

In February 2004, Steve and Carol Morris opened their fully equipped sign making centre in Rotherham, since then, they have expanded their territory to include all of Sheffield. Based at Templeborough, Signs Express pride themselves on their expertise and innovative solutions to help businesses come up with perfect signage solutions, tailored specifically to their requirements.

Steve Morris, owner of Signs Express, said: "We have a great relationship with The Children's Hospital Charity and have worked with them on numerous projects, so we really appreciate being able to work with them again and on such a fabulous occasion. The event itself is going to be amazing fun for all the family. Our team are really looking forward to showing their families around the trail."

Signs Express (Sheffield) worked on a project in 2013 to reenergise the Hydrotherapy pool at the hospital and in 2015 they completely transformed the atmosphere of the Eye Department.

The herd can be found across Sheffield city centre and beyond, creating an interactive trail that can be followed using the Herd of Sheffield app to collect points for every elephant you see. The sculptures will be on display until October 5 2016 before they are auctioned off to raise money for charity.

Look out for Gulall Graffitti aka "GG" the elephant, designed by artist Sue Guthrie and sponsored by Rotherham engineering firm, PMS Diecasting.

A "Little Herd" was launched on June 21 which unveiled 72 little calf elephants designed by local schools and positioned in indoor venues throughout the city.

Clare Collingworth, corporate fundraiser for The Children's Hospital Charity said: "It's been brilliant collaborating with Signs Express and we really appreciate the level of support they've given us throughout the Herd of Sheffield project. Not only have Signs Express sponsored their own beautiful elephant, their plaques will ensure that each member of the Herd can stand proudly next to their name and description. They will give each of the elephants a chance to have their moment in the spotlight!"

Sheffield Children's Hospital is one of just four stand-alone children's hospitals in the UK, and the only one in Yorkshire. Every year, hundreds of thousands of children come from all over the UK and abroad for specialist treatment at the hospital. Thanks to pioneering clinicians, they are forging the way in paediatric care and are recognised as a centre of excellence in fields ranging from asthma and cystic fibrosis to cancer, gastroenterology and major trauma.

The Children's Hospital Charity makes this extraordinary hospital even better, funding enhancements that are above and beyond the NHS provision. Thanks to the generosity of supporters, the charity can fund life-saving medical equipment, research into the prevention and cure of childhood illnesses and improvements to the environment.